Fire department moves into new station

By APRIL GUILMETUnion Leader Correspondent

PELHAM - Pelham's town center is looking noticeably different these days with the addition of the long-awaited new fire station at the Village Green.

Fire officials moved into the new station May 4, Town Administrator Tom Gaydos said.“They're settling in nicely,” Gaydos said on Monday. “There's still boxes to unpack, but once that happens, we'll be scheduling an open house.”

While a date for the open house hasn't been nailed down yet, it will likely take place early this summer, Gaydos said.With two new roundabouts being built in the town center and the old fire station around the corner being torn down and replaced with public green space, town officials said their town's central hub will be given a newer, more modern appearance.“The old town center is going to look really different, and we think those changes will definitely be for the better,” said Gaydos.

Bedford's Eckman Construction broke ground on the $3.9 million fire station, located in the town complex on Marsh Road next to Pelham's Town Hall, library and police station, this past June. Salem's Trident Project Advantage Group consulted with town officials on the project.Voters overwhelmingly approved the new fire station during the March 2012 town meeting.

Fire officials said the station, built of concrete, is designed to stand the test of time while accommodating expected staff and equipment increases in the coming years.“I think any time a town extends its municipal structure, it sends the general message that we're growing,” Planning Director Jeff Gowan said. “Businesses in the area, both existing and new, will definitely benefit from a larger, better equipped fire station.”Gowan said construction on the roundabouts, a $4.5 million state DOT project, is months behind schedule, mainly due to delays in public infrastructure improvements.

Once completed, however, the roundabouts, located near the entrance to the town's municipal complex at Village Green and further down Marsh Road near the former fire station, will tackle traffic safety and congestion issues that have become problematic in recent years.Gowan said the Village Green roundabout would be mostly completed this summer, though the one near the old fire station wouldn't be done until sometime next year.

The finishing touches will include sidewalks and landscaped, central islands.aguilmet@newstote.com